


Four Immortals And A Baby

by happydaygirl



Category: The Old Guard (Comics), The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Accidental Baby Acquisition, Cuteness overload, Domestic, Family Tropes, Fluff, Gen, Humour, M/M, forced downtime, maybe some angst?, pre- movie, the team dealing with a baby
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:26:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25694257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happydaygirl/pseuds/happydaygirl
Summary: 'Does this mean we are uncles now?' Nicky says with a smile, before joining the others in looking down at their new, adorable problem...A job goes ever so slightly awry-now the team must pick up the pieces, whether they like it or not....
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 29
Kudos: 213





	1. Chapter 1

'We go in on my signal...' Andy muttered quietly, her eyes fixed at a point at the horizon, the rifle tucked under her chin. The target was moving around, making her nervous. It was now or never.

'I don't have a good feeling about this, boss,' Joe murmured, hands twisting to find a firmer grip on his scimitar- Nicky looked across quizzically at him through the orange light of a rapidly setting sun; he couldn't see his face properly- Joe being nervous made him nervous.

The four of them were in England, currently in a large industrial estate full of disused factories, overgrown bushes and spray-painted, crumbling brick walls. The noise of the world rang in their ears as they crept deeper into the maze of off-roads and unkempt grass verges, slick with mud from a recent storm.

'In and out, just like we always do, Joe,' Andy replied, voice low as they came upon the factory; the brick facade was scorched from a past unruly bonfire, and the air was rife with the smell of weed being smoked somewhere beyond the silver fencing further up.

'What if he's not here?' Booker, somewhere to her left, muttered, hands deftly holding his own weapon in a ready aim. They all looked as they heard a booming laugh from inside the factory foyer, loud and obnoxious- just like the man they were charged with taking out.

Michael Cheriton was a drug and weapons dealer, a major player in Britain's organised crime syndicates.-blood didn't just stain his hands; they gushed with blood every time he moved. Now he was making big bucks and he knew it- now he had moved from dealing with guns and crack to people; women and children, and men to put to work. He had to be stopped, whatever it took.

'Cut the head off the snake, and the body soon dies...' Booker had said, and Andy was inclined to agree. Once Cheriton was out of the picture, the better it would be for everyone.

'He's here,' Nicky said lightly, adjusting his grip on his sniper rifle ever so slightly as he watched a large group of men move from the foyer to deeper in the building, 'probably in the main warehouse.'

'Come on, let's get this shit over and done with...' Andy said, hefting her axe behind her back as she moved; together the four of them advanced-Joe expertly took out the two sentries standing guard with quick shots.

'Joe, you and Nicky flank left-' Andy said, replacing her gun with her axe now they were approaching close quarters. '-Booker, me and you will go in the front.'

'The old “surprise move?”' Booker nodded with a wry smile.

'They won't be expecting us to come in through the front door...' Andy returned the smile, hands curling around her axe as the four of them moved.

Joe and Nicky moved off, moving as silently as the night as they branched off to the left, up a set of metal steps that snaked around the whole building.

The warehouse was large and spacious but smelt old and unused- a set of large shipping containers, four in all, stood in a line; Joe hoped they were empty. He looked across to Nicky, eyes motioning the group of people stood facing the boxes.

Most were petty crooks, they could see- Cheriton was in the middle, in a snazzy suit and a fat cigar; why did all English mob bosses take their style inspirations from old American films, Nicky wondered; there was no originality in their dress sense at all. That was the English through and through, though, he mused wryly as they moved.

'Here..' Joe whispered close to his ear- Nicky watched as Joe crouched, getting his weapon ready. The two of them were ready pick off any unfortunate stragglers that Andy and Booker may leave behind; not that there would be, anyway, he thought with a wry smile as he too crouched, readying his weapon.

Seconds later, and the main front door to the warehouse opened with a bang, followed by a hail of gunfire- warning shots, Joe knew. He and Nicky watched as the men darted in all directions, reaching for sawn-off shotguns and handguns as they all ducked for cover.

'Like a duck hunt over a river...' Nicky muttered through the cacophony as gunfire was swiftly returned in full force; Joe watched Booker duck for cover by a wooden crate, splinters of wood flying over his head. Seconds later and Booker was up, setting off a double tap that sent a man to the floor in a hail of red mist, hitting the concrete hard.

Andy moved swiftly through the men, her now- bloodied axe shining even in the scant light of the dusk falling around them- she headed for Cheriton; part of her wanted to take him alive, to get information, but she knew that couldn't be possible. She grunted out in pain as a bullet hit her shoulder, flinging her arm back and almost causing her to drop her axe.

'Son of a...' she growled, answering the man in kind with an axe to the jugular as she darted forwards, the wound already closed.

'Cheriton!' she heard Booker shout from somewhere behind her. Chancing a look behind her, she saw Booker, his face peppered with blood, send a shot into the chest of an approaching man. Turning back, she was a split second too late in raising her axe as a man ran at her with a knife; seconds later the man dropped to the concrete like a stone. Looking up she nodded to Nicky, who saluted her before he and Joe moved on, towards Cheriton and the last of his lackeys.

Picking up the now-unneeded knife from the dead man, Andy drew her arm back and threw it as hard as she could, without waiting to watch it embed into the back of the man to the left of Cheriton she moved back to the side, readying her axe once more.

'How many more?' Booker asked as he moved next to her, reloading his gun as he went.

'Four, plus Cheriton,'Andy reported, before the two of them stepped out again, ducking shotgun blasts as they went. They looked up as they heard a return of gunfire; they watched Joe and Nicky from the rafters, moving closer towards Cheriton.

The men guarding Cheriton also noticed the hail of gunfire from above them; tapping each other on the shoulder and pointing, they seemed to now ignore Booker and Andy as they concentrated their gunfire now on the two men above them.

Joe growled out as a slug hit his arm, sending him a step off-balance; he smiled in thanks as Nicky centred him, before the Italian sent off a shot with his own gun, sending the offending man to the floor, unmoving.

All four of them now moved as one, above and below- Cheriton was running now, his guard now almost entirely extinguished. Andy was gifted the parting shot- with a spray of red bursting from his his, Cheriton was down. A deafening silence now enveloped the warehouse, save for the harsh breathing of the very last guard who was desperately running to the opposite side of the huge building, gun now redundant in his arms as he fled.

'Should we get him?' Joe asked, watching the black figure now slam into the back area, legs almost comically moving as he ran.

'No,' Andy said, wiping her face down. 'Someone needs to tell other gangs what happened here. Instil some fear.'

Booker looked around, eyeing the damage and bodies with an almost dispassionate gaze. 'A job well done, I'd say.'

'Well, hopefully people round here will think twice now before dealing with people,' Andy mused as she watched Joe and Nicky descend the steps and walk closer. 'But then again maybe they won't.'

'Speaking of which...' Nicky muttered, nodding to the cluster of shipping containers.

'We should open them.' Joe nodded his agreement- together, each immortal took a door, unhooked the giant metal lock and pulled; relief settled into each of their chests as they saw they were all empty.

'Let's get out here,' Andy muttered, stowing her axe carefully back into its holster. 'Before the police arrive.'

'You mean the “old bill”?' Booker remarked, putting on a thick English accent as they walked.

'The “Rozzers, you mean!' Joe replied in an equally thick accent.

'I believe they were originally called “Peelers”, named after the man who created them...' Nicky said, chuckling as Joe gave him a long-suffering look before laughing and shaking his head. 'Nicky I love you, but where the hell do you keep all that useless information inside your brain after all these years?' he asked, rolling his eyes affectionately as Nicky shrugged.

'It's a gift.'

'Come on, let's go guys...' Andy muttered as they reached the front entrance. They could vaguely hear sirens in the distance; she did not want to be around when they finally reached the industrial estate.

'I hope you remember where you left the car, Booker.' Joe said with a grin, before he stopped as Nicky tapped him urgently on the chest.

'What's wrong?' he asked, instantly alert at the look on his partner's face. 'Nicoló?'

'Hear it?' Nicky was almost in silhouette in the rising darkness. 'Listen.'

'Guys, we don't have time for-' Andy closed her mouth as Joe shook his head, a hand out to silence all of them.

'Hang on, Nicky says he hears something...' he explained, before watching as Nicky took off walking down a side road, face set in a concentrated frown as he listened intently.

The four of them walked in silence, and as they moved closer to a large bush to the side of the path, they all started to hear it. A soft, mewling sound. High pitched squalling- crying, Booker recognised instantly. A child crying.

'Over here, I think...' he called, but Nicky was closer- leaning forwards he picked through the undergrowth, until his eyes fell on a rustling, moving brown blanket.

'Oh mio Dio...' he breathed, eyes wide as he stooped and picked up the wriggling bundle, bringing it closer to his chest before moving back to the others.

'What the hell...' Andy spoke for all of them as they watched Nicky cradle the baby in his arms, eyes still wide as he looked down at the child, who had now ceased crying but was still grizzling in the blanket, big blue eyes staring up at the Italian in wonderment.

'Well, this is a new problem I don't think we've encountered before!' Booker added, a hand to the back of his neck as they all continued staring.

They all looked up as they heard sirens getting closer; blue flashing lights lit up the darkness. 'We have to go, why don't we-'

'I'm not leaving it here!' Nicky was absolute, firm. Joe's heart inflated slightly as he watched his partner clasp the baby closer to his body protectively, eyes almost flashing at Andy as she shrugged in defeat. 'They'll die if we do that!'

'Let's get back to the safe house and we can argue there about what to do, ok?' Booker said, looking over his shoulder as the noise got louder behind them.

'Good idea,' Nicky nodded, before they all moved off in the direction of the car, a precious new cargo safely bundled in Nicky's arms....


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Booker and Joe go shopping- who knew babies were so confusing?  
> Meanwhile Andy encurs the wrath of Nicky as the group get used to their new addition....

The car ride back to the safe house was, in all honesty, tense.

Andy was driving, eyes flicking back to the side mirrors to check if they were being tailed by any police cars.

Booker was in the passenger seat on his laptop, already checking newscasts and if any inkling of their mission had reached any important gang members yet.

Joe was sat in the back and was staring across the seats at Nicky, who held the bundle tight in his arms, hands clenched over each other, staring down at the now still child. Joe's heart was feeling all sorts of things, things he hadn't considered or had even thought of before- yet watching Nicoló cradle the infant tight to his chest sent love coursing through his veins nonetheless.

Nicky looked over and caught him looking; he motioned the baby. 'They're sleeping...' he whispered, before looking down as the child stirred in his arms.

'You sure about that?' Joe chuckled lightly as the child began to cry- Nicky awkwardly untucked it from the blankets, shushing the child and muttering some words in Italian under his breath. As he finally managed to free the child from the blankets he moved them so they were facing each other. 'Hello...' he cooed, eyes wide. 'Hello Tesoro...' he smiled- the baby had a large waft of blonde hair with the deepest brown eyes he had ever seen. He wondered if it was a boy or a girl.

Before he could say anything else the car slowed to a halt- they had reached the safe house. 'Here, let me hold them while you get out...' Joe offered, hands out. Nicky handed him the baby- their eyes flicked from Nicky to Joe; Joe ran a fingertip down their face, opening his mouth wide as he cooed down at them.

'A baby suits you, you know?' Nicoló said, voice barely audible to anyone else.

'You think?' Joe loved the way Nicoló could always enunciate what Joe himself felt; they were so in-tuned to each other. 'You too.' he added, before ducking out of the car, leaving Nicky to smile at nothing before also getting out.

'Wait.' Andy's voice suddenly spoke up from the back of the car.

'What?' Joe said, cradling the child close to his chest against the chill of the evening- Nicoló handed him the blanket, which he gratefully accepted and draped over the wriggling child. They couldn't even be a year old yet, Joe surmised from his admittedly limited experience with children. They looked young, but not too young- their fingers curled around his hand and he almost melted on the spot.

'Andy, what's wrong?' Booker said as he watched Andy look across at the baby.

'Well, if we are now going to get into the habit of taking in waifs and strays from the streets, we need supplies, do we not?'

'Oh yeah...' Joe nodded, before looking down at the baby and cooing again. 'We forgot to buy anything for you! Yes we did! Oh yes we did!' he babbled, grinning down at the baby in his arms.

'Oh god help us...' Booker snickered affectionately, rolling his eyes as Joe continued to talk down to the baby, eyes wide.

'So someone needs to go shopping.' Andy continued, hoisting the bag of guns onto one shoulder as she shut the boot of the car.

'I will,' Joe volunteered, shrugging.

'And I will get the baby settled in...' Nicky said, before stepping forwards and gently extracted the child from his partner's arms.

'Guess that just leaves me and you, Book.' Joe smiled, before crossing to the passenger seat and getting back in the car.

'Why me?' Booker looked around, sighing.

'You've had kids before, you know what we need,' Nicky said, moving the baby so their head was on his shoulder.

'Yeah, over 200 years ago!' Booker shot back, 'God knows what kids these days need...'

'You'll figure it out, Book.' Andy assured him, throwing him the keys. 'Don't be long, we need to stay low- only go in one shop and we can get whatever else we need in a few days.'

'Roger that,' Booker nodded, opening the car door.

'Don't forget to get a lot of changing items...' Nicky said, nose suddenly upturned in distaste a waft of smell suddenly appeared between the two men

'Double roger that...' Booker wrinkled up his nose, before getting in the car and turning on the ignition.

* * *

'Should we get regular or sensitive skin wipes, do you think?'

'Does it really matter? I mean, in the long run, does it really matter?'

'They might have sensitive skin!' Joe shot back, before picking up the packet of wipes and dropping it into his basket. They were presently standing in the baby section of a late-night supermarket, peering up and down an aisle neither had taken much notice of before.

Joe had no idea there was so much _choice_. Scented. Unscented. Powder. Wipes. He wondered how parents this day and age coped with so much variety on offer.

'What else do we need? Booker said, giving a woman a small smile as she passed, smiling broadly at the two of them. 'Can we do this any quicker?' he grumbled, stuffing his hands into his pockets. 'Everyone thinks we're a couple!'

'Does that bother you?' Joe asked, picking up some cream and putting it in the basket too.

'Well, no, apart from the fact its not true...'

'Help me find some nappies and we can go then. Who knows how much all of this will cost...'

'Hang on, don't they need a blanket or something? They're gonna get cold.' Booker looked across at Joe as he lightly scoffed. 'What?'

'Nothing,' Joe shrugged, smiling. 'I'm just imagining you as a father way back when...'

'Yeah,well...' Booker shrugged off the words, before grabbing a blanket from the shelf. 'This should do- come on, let's get back so we can sort the child out properly.'

'Good idea...' Joe said, before they turned towards the nappy section. 'Now, what size should we get?'

* * *

It was almost an hour later when the two of them, arms laden with bags, stepped into the darkened living area of their safe house. The room itself consisted of a large main living area, into which they had placed four camping style beds- there was a large table near the far wall; Andy was sat at it, a vast array of weapons across it that she was cleaning. She looked up as the door closed.

'Shhh, it's taken them ages to drop off,' she smiled, nodding over to a bed near the opposite wall.

'Them?' Booker asked, frowning.

Placing his bags quietly on the carpeted floor, Joe looked over to where Andy had nodded quizzically- his heart swelled with love as he saw both Nicoló and the baby asleep in their bed, pillows tucked under Nicolo's back. He cradled the baby in his arms tight to his chest, and the baby had their head resting in the crook of his neck; Joe could hear them both snoring softly from where he stood.

'Should we wake them so we can take care of the baby? Booker whispered.

'Sure, if you want to evoke the wrath of Nicky!' Andy replied, a fond smile spreading across her face as she too watched the immortal and the baby sleeping soundly. 'I swear if looks could kill I should have dropped down stone dead when I accidentally dropped a gun I was cleaning!' She chuckled. 'And I wouldn't have got back up again, that's for sure...'

'That sounds like Nicoló..' Joe nodded- Nicoló was fiercely protective to the things he cared about.

'Don't worry, we cleaned her up as best we could while you were gone, she just couldn't wait.' Andy assured them.

'Oh, so she's a she!' Booker smiled, sitting next to Andy and pulling a gun towards him to clean.

'Yep- a regular little chica... ' Andy nodded, looking over to Nicky and the baby again one last time before turning back to her cleaning.

'So I guess I'm sleeping on the floor tonight, then!' Joe chuckled softly, taking off his jacket and balling it up. Crossing the room, he put his jacket on the floor next to Nicoló- leaning forwards slightly he pressed a kiss to his partner's temple, letting his lips rest on his warm skin for a few moments, savouring the moment.

As he pulled away he ran a finger down the sleeping child's soft cheek, before he sat down next to them both, letting his eyes fall closed to the rhythmic noise of his lover's breathing and the thoughts running through his head of what else was to come...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much more to come!
> 
> Thanks for reading! Please comment/kudos- I'd love to know your thoughts!
> 
> Next chapter up soon!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, writer's block seriously dented this story, but I am back now!
> 
> I hope you enjoy...

Booker missed a lot of things about having young children. The wonder of staring at them for hours on end, wondering how someone like him could possibly have created something so perfect. The laughter and joy that his children dredged up from his inner soul in ways he could never have imagined. The way it brought he and his wife closer, bonded over the lives they created together…

What he didn’t miss, at all, about having children was the crying. The incessant, never ending crying. He opened bleary eyes and rolled onto his back as the noise purged all notions of the sleep from him.

‘Oh my god…’ he heard Andy groan from somewhere to his left- he smirked as he sat up, wiping his face as he looked over to Nicky and Joe in the far corner; Joe had switched on the lamp on the table next to the bed Nicky was sitting on, rocking the baby back and forth and muttering low words under his breath as the child gave her lungs a good workout.

‘Ah, how I’ve not missed this…’ he muttered, swinging his legs out and coming to stand next to Joe. ‘You already look like shit!’ he chuckled as Joe looked up; his eyes were already black and tired-looking. ‘She won’t stop…’ Joe offered with a shrug. ‘I don’t know how you and Andy managed to sleep through as much as you did.’

‘It’s a gift…’ Andy yawned, pulling on a sweater as she crossed to the kitchen area to make coffee. ‘Jesus, its only four in the morning!’

‘She’s obviously missing her mother….’ Nicky whispered, arms cradling the child as he continued to rock her from side to side.

‘Yeah, that reminds me…’ Booker nodded, pulling his laptop from his go-bag and sitting at the table.

‘What are you doing?’ Joe asked, standing up now and stretching. He looked down at the crying child, his mouth crinkling in a smile as Nicky moved positions, now having the baby resting with her head next to his own, moving slightly up and down in another rhythm.

‘Setting up alerts for missing children in the area- when the police or the media start reporting on a missing child, I’ll get a notification.’ Booker replied, before looking across as the baby shrieked again, her voice high pitched and piercing.

‘We’re gonna get kicked out of the room soon…’ Andy muttered as she placed four cups of strong coffee on the table. She was acutely aware of the fact that they had booked the room as four adults, not with a child in tow…

‘She won’t settle,’ Nicky replied in a low voice, resting his head on the baby’s before continuing to speak softly in Italian, hoping the rhythm of his voice would help.

‘Has she had a bottle?’

‘Yeah,’ Joe nodded, shrugging as he took a large gulp of coffee, not caring how it scalded his tongue.

‘And a change?’

‘Nicky had a lot of fun doing that…’ Joe snorted, rolling his eyes as Nicky let out a snort, shaking his head at his words.

‘Come here, let me try…’ Booker stood up, arms out- stooping down he gently extricated the baby from Nicky, leaving him to relax back onto the bed as Booker stepped away, jiggling the baby gently in his arms.

At first she wouldn’t stop crying, despite the change in caregiver- after a few moments, however, as Booker began to quietly whisper in French, his voice low as he rocked her, she began to calm, her wide blue eyes mesmerised as Booker continued to sway, his voice soothing her back into a slumber.

‘Wow.’ Joe had to give it to him- he had really calmed her down. ‘You’re good at that.’

‘Like I said before, this isn’t my first rodeo…’ Booker replied in a whisper, staring down at the child- a very familiar scent filtered into his nose, making his eyes prick with tears as emotions he had not felt for hundreds of years came up the surface. His sons had smelt the same way; it was almost uncanny. It was like he was holding them for the very first time.

Images of his children, growing old and passing away while he stayed the same, moved in his mind like a carousel. He swallowed hard as he remembered it all, looking down at the child in his arms as she slept.

‘Book?’ Andy’s voice sounded like it came from far away. He continued to stare down, oblivious to everything else as the baby, now sound asleep, gurgled a little as she dreamed.

‘Booker? You ok?’ He started slightly as a hand fell on his forearm- he looked up at Andy, at her slightly concerned eyes.

‘Yeah, yeah I’m fine…’ he smiled, nodding away her concerns as he took a deep breath and wiped his eyes as he stepped back. ‘Here, see- not too hard.’ He said shortly as he gently put the baby back into Nicky’s arms.

He was acutely aware of three pairs of eyes staring at him as he grabbed his jacket. ‘I need some air.’ He muttered to the room at large before crossing the worn carpet and opening the door, shutting it with a thud- Joe looked down as the noise startled the baby; with baited breath he and Nicky waited for the inevitable….but thankfully she merely turned her head and pushed her face into Nicky’s chest, her little fists clutching the material of his shirt as she resumed her dreaming.

‘I’ll go and see how he is-‘ Joe muttered, making to stand up, but Andy shook her head as she too stared at the closed door.

‘No, he’ll want to be alone.’ She replied, voice low as she took a gulp of coffee. ‘Let him be for a while.’

‘Probably brought it all back for him…’ Nicky whispered, looking across to Joe. ‘Made him think of his sons.’

‘Yeah….’ Joe nodded his agreement, before settling down again next to Nicky, looping an arm around him as they stared down at the sleeping babe, the city waking up around them.

* * *

Booker came back once daylight had properly filtered into the room- he came brandishing two plastic bags containing breakfast and more coffee, something that Nicky was extremely grateful for. He sat at the table eating a selection of pastries as Booker and Andy sorted through some weapons in their bags.

‘How long are we going to stay here for?’ Booker asked as he stowed away the last of his knives, looking back to see Joe holding the baby, grinning at her as she giggled in his arms.

‘I don’t know, I guess for as long as we’ve got her.’ Nicky shrugged, wiping his mouth as he smiled watching his boyfriend laugh at the baby as they played peek-a-boo; her laugh was enchanting, and filled his heart with joy.

‘We can’t keep calling her “her”- she needs a name!’ Joe smiled, nodding at the baby as he spoke. ‘What should we call you?’ he sing-songed, before picking her up and, holding her tightly, moving to stand next to the others. ‘Any ideas?’

‘We can call her anything we like, its not going to matter-‘ Andy shrugged, ‘we can call her “cupboard” and that’ll be enough.’

‘We can’t call her that!’ Nicky laughed, shaking his head. ‘It has to be simple so we can remember it.’

‘Something English, maybe?’ Joe mused, eyebrows knitted together in thought.

‘Edith.’ Booker offered, sitting back with a smirk. ‘Betty.’

‘Doreen.’ Andy joined in, smiling.

‘No!’ Joe shook his head, before gently covering the baby’s ears with a snort. ‘Don’t let her hear you try and name her something like that!’

‘How about….Elizabeth?’ Nicky said, looking up at Joe. ‘Lizzie for short?’

The room fell quiet as they considered. ‘Sounds good to me.’ Andy said after a while, nodding. ‘Nice and simple, and appropriate.’

‘So, Elizabeth….how about a nice wash?’ Joe looked down at the gurgling baby, rocking her again as she stepped away. ‘You smell a little funky- yes you do, yes you do!’

Nicky watched as Joe stepped away, a loving smile on his face. ‘Do you even know what you’re doing?’ he called as he watched Joe delve into the baby bag he and Booker had curated.

‘No, but isn’t that part of the fun?!’ he called back with a chuckle- Nicky and Booker looked at each other before also standing up, ready to get their hands dirty. They looked around as Andy reached for her bag and shouldered her jacket.

‘Where are you going?’ Booker asked, frowning.

‘I’ve got an errand to run,’ Andy replied as she crossed the room and opened the door. ‘Have a nice bath, guys!’ she called, before shutting the door with a snap.


	4. Chapter 4

The bathroom was cold and smelled of damp, but Nicky and Joe soon remedied that by running the bath and pouring in some of the baby bubbles that they had bought from the shop- Joe positioned Lizzie with her back against his chest as the bath filled, arms tight around her middle, so she could see the rising bubbles; he chuckled as he watched her reach out her fists and try to grab some of them before blinking in wonder as they popped and disappeared.

‘Don’t be too long in there- remember we still have a real job to do here!’ Booker muttered as he peeked his head round the door. He watched for a few seconds as Nicky proceeded to scoop up some bubble bath mixture and blow a series of bubbles at the little girl, before affectionally scoffing and rolling his eyes before leaving them to it.

‘How are we going to wash her properly?’ Nicky asked after a while as he tested the water to make sure it wasn’t too hot for her. He looked up as Joe looked around, clicking his tongue against his teeth as he thought. ‘We should have got a baby bath…’ he settled for replying, voice low, before he had an idea. ‘I guess when in Rome…’ he muttered with a smile, stepping forwards and placing Lizzie in Nicky’s arms.

‘What are you doing?’ Nicky asked, before looking down and chuckling as Lizzie started squirming around in his arms, fighting to get back to Joe. ‘Ah, looks like someone is getting attached!’ he laughed, before rocking her slightly as she began to protest more vocally.

‘I'mma coming, I’mma coming!’ Joe sing-songed to her, pulling off his shirt and trousers as fast as he could. Leaving his underwear on he gingerly stepped into the bath and, after sitting down and making himself comfortable in the lukewarm water, reached out to accept the child. Nicky obliged, his heart almost bursting as he watched his partner gently place her between his legs and hold her still, letting the water cascade over her chubby knees as she squealed and splashed around happily.

‘We should have brought some plastic duckies!’ Joe smiled, beaming up at Nicky as the other man knelt down beside the bath, scooping up handfuls of bubbles and placing them on Lizzie’s head and grinning as she giggled and tried to wipe them off.

‘Next time we go shopping we’ll have to get some- she’ll love them,’ he nodded, sitting back now as Joe laughed and spread more water over her, his heart filling with joy every time she laughed.

‘Right, time to get washed and dried, I think!’ Joe announced after a few more minutes of playing- soon Lizzie was squeaky clean and was ready to get out; holding out a thick white towel Nicky lifted her from Joe’s arms, wrapping her up tightly and rubbing her gently to warm her up.

‘I wonder if Booker has had any hits yet on his missing child tracker?’ he asked as he sat on the closed toilet seat, drying the squirming child as Joe took the opportunity to also wash himself in the rapidly cooling water.

‘Hopefully someone is missing her- I’d be going crazy if it was my child!’ Joe said, shaking his head as he stood up and wrapped a towel around himself.

‘Right, let’s go and get you dressed- shall we go and do that? Eh?’ Nicky smiled down at Lizzie as he began to grizzle again. The three of them made their way into the main living area just as Andy arrived back, closing the door behind her with her foot.

‘Where have you been?’ Booker, seated at the table sharpening his blades, asked her as he turned round. He smiled and shook his head as he saw Andy’s arms were laden with bags.

‘Shopping.’ She replied, shrugging. ‘Food, more baby supplies just in case we run out, and….’ She placed the bags on the floor before taking out a large box out of one of the bags. ‘I got this-’ She passed the box to Joe, who cast a confused look to Nicky as the other man went to sit on their bed, Lizzie still in his arms.

‘What is it?’ Joe asked, shaking the box suspiciously.

‘Well, we can’t stay holed up here forever, and a pram is too impractical…’ Andy explained, grasping the other bags and heading into the kitchen area, watching as Joe began to open the box, Booker and Nicky also looking on curiously.

‘Oh…’ Joe grinned as he unveiled a pink baby carrier, adorned with baby bunnies.

‘Andy, you’re such a sop…’ Booker grinned, before snorting as Andy sent a death glare his way.

‘I just don’t really want any of us accidentally dropping her when we take her outside.’ She replied, voice sharp. ‘Its won’t really do much for our image, y’know?’

‘I think its lovely!’ Joe beamed across at her, before working quickly to adjust the straps. ‘I think this should work…’ he muttered, before setting it aside to help Nicky dress Lizzie in the brand new baby-suit he and Booker had got. ‘Shall we take it out for a test run?’ he asked when they had finished. Nicky smiled and nodded- Booker and Andy cast each other a look and both shook their heads, muttering something about weapons, cleaning and looking for new jobs.

* * *

Early autumn leaves curled around their shoes as they walked down the path running round the side of the park. The weather wasn’t too cold, yet Nicky still insisted on going to the shop and buying Lizzie a hat and small blanket to wear whilst strapped to Joe’s chest; she was practically trussed up like a turkey as they made their way to the park; Nicky smiled as Joe reached down and enveloped both of Lizzie’s hands in his own, warming them as they walked.

‘Well, I didn’t think we’d ever be doing this….’ He muttered, looking around at the other couples and families, bustling about their days with their children in in tow.

‘I know, weird isn’t it?’ Joe replied, voice light as he looked down to watch Lizzie look around.

‘Makes us seem almost normal…’ Nicky said, voice quiet. They walked on for a few more minutes, just enjoying each other company, as well as enjoying Lizzie, who seemed to find joy in everything she saw.

‘Wouldn’t it be great if we could have this permanently?’ Nicky asked as they round the corner and found an empty bench.

‘What?’ Joe replied, fiddling with the straps holding Lizzie tight to him. ‘A baby?’

‘Yeah. Children…I don’t know, it might be nice to slow down after all these years, to take stock….’

‘My love, do you not see how Booker suffers?’ Joe’s voice was light, calm. He reached forward and gently grasped Nicky’s wrist, squeezing lightly as he looked into his partner’s eyes. ‘To remember his children brings him so much pain- perhaps it is wise not to visit it on ourselves?’

‘I understand, of course, I do….but it might be nice to experience it. You’re a natural- you would have made a great father.’ Nicky's voice faltered a little as he spoke.

Joe leaned forwards and pressed their foreheads together, careful not to squash Lizzie between them as he did so. ‘As would you, my love.’ He whispered, before kissing Nicky’s temple as he sat up. ‘I guess we should just cherish every moment of this time now, before she goes back to her own family…’ he muttered, clearing his throat of the emotion that had built up.

‘Yes, we should…’ Nicky smiled, running a finger down Lizzie’s pink cheeks as she beamed across at him, eyes wide.

‘Come on, let’s go back and get in the warm again,’ Joe said, standing up and resuming his holding of Lizzie’s hands. The two of them turned around and began the slow walk back to the hotel room, determined to make the time they had with Lizzie the best they could. For her and for them all.


End file.
